Travel writing Books

One of the world's most famous business leaders (and a well-known avian fanatic) explores the pioneers of flight. In Reach for the Skies, Branson examines the history of aviation over the last two hundred years, putting the spotlight on trailblazers such as: * Tony Jannus, who made the first ...

A collection of hilarious and compelling insights and anecdotes, diary entries, poems, 'true' facts and cartoons on travel from Karl Pilkington, unlikely star of the Ricky Gervais Show, the world's most successful podcast - now in paperback. This is the travel book for people who don't particularly ...

From London to New York, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, across the Pacific to Alaska, then down through Canada and America. But as the miles slipped beneath the tyres of their big BMWs, their troubles started. Exhaustion, injury an...

When Toyota decided to test-drive the new FJ Cruiser by driving the length of New Zealand off-road, Marc Ellis was the obvious choice to be the driver. In his latest book, Marc recounts the highlights of this journey - the hard case characters he meets along the way, the challenges he had to underta...

Viewers will know him as the guy with guns, tusks, furs and other weird stuff who pops up on Border Patrol from time to time. He's Davey Hughes, the founder of Swazi Outdoor Clothing, and this is his story. As a kid in Wainuiomata he spent the weekends in the hills going after pigs and possums. Now ...

This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from l...

In the years following the publication of Into Thin Air, much has changed on Mount Everest. Among all the books documenting the glorious adventures in mountains around the world, none details how the recent infusion of wealthy climbers is drawing crime to the highest place on the planet. The change ...

One morning our narrator wakes up and wants to change his life. He wants escape and adventure. His wife is won over, despite being completely happy with things as they are. He throws in his job, they cut their ties and set off to live on the French canals amid the romance, tranquility and lots of be...

It's 3 a.m. and Elizabeth Gilbert is sobbing on the bathroom floor. She's in her thirties, she has a husband, a house, they're trying for a baby - and she doesn't want any of it. A bitter divorce and a turbulent love affair later, she emerges battered and bewildered and realises it is time to pursue...

The Appalachian Trail covers 14 states, and over 2,000 miles. It stretches along the East Coast of the United States, from Maine in the north to Georgia in the south. It is famous for being the longest continuous footpath in the world. (Compare this with the Pennine Way, which is a mere 250 miles lo...

The best-loved comedian in Britain heads off on the most famous highway in the world on an unforgettable journey. Having always dreamed about taking a trip on the legendary Route 66, Billy Connolly is finally heading off on the ride of a lifetime. Travelling all 2,488 miles of this epic road, known ...

As a sassy young woman used to blagging, blogging and slogging her way through dreary London, the call of a glamorous, tax-free lifestyle in sunny Dubai just couldn’t go unanswered. During two and a half years, an entire city rose from the dust around Becky, along with a good few rungs of that...

In 1962 a young New Zealander left home for a one year trip to Europe. He returned some 20 years later with a wife, four children and the internationally renowned tour company - Contiki Holidays.Written by the founder of Contiki, Only Two Seats Left is the incredible story of how a simple idea with ...

At Buffalo Bill's there was all manner of grilled and fried food, and this motorcycling connoisseur had a hard job choosing his burger. I decided to make the meal educational. Many will be wondering about the difference between buffalo and bison. Are they the same animal? The answer is a resounding ...

Gareth Morgan couldn't decide whether he believed in climate change or not, so he hired the best international scientists to answer his questions and these are his findings. Combined with anecdotes from his own recent trips to Antarctica and the Arctic this is something completely unique in books ab...

The witty tale of a real life mid-life crisis which took an ordinary Kiwi bloke around Australia on a motorbike, to fulfil his life-long Easy Rider inspired dreams of his long-lost youth. The result is a very dry look at the Big Dry Country told with self-deprecating wit by a first time author. A la...

Danny Wallace is about to turn thirty and his life has become a cliche. Recently married and living in a smart new area of town, he's swapped pints down the pub for lattes and brunch. For the first time in his life, he's feeling, well ...grown-up. But something's not right. Something's missing. Unti...

An unusual summons from an old, itinerant acquaintance - known as the Lark - piques author Neville Peat's curiosity. The invitation to meet in the mountains around Glenorchy is timely: he's keen to head into the high country to investigate recent reports of sightings of the near-extinct kokako. The ...

Unbeknown to many tourists (and some Kiwis), New Zealand is a land of quirky collectors, colourful characters and unusual 'backyard' projects. It is also, more commonly known, to have some of the most beautiful 'off-the-beaten-track' scenery in the world. This book lets the reader in on all those un...

Captain Scott perished with four of his fellow explorers on their return from the South Pole in March 1912. Almost immediately the myth was founded, based on Scott's diaries, turning him into an icon of courage in the face of impossible circumstances. But during the final months of that journey Scot...

Anthony Bourdain, life-long line cook and bestselling author of KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, sets off to eat his way around the world. But being Anthony Bourdain, this was never going to be a conventional culinary tour. Bourdain heads out to Saigon where he eats the still-beating heart of a live cobra, and...

Beautifully written and full of wonderful descriptions and intriguing tales, "In Patagonia" is an account of Bruce Chatwin's travels to a remote country in search of a strange beast and his encounters with the people whose fascinating stories delay him on the road.Author BiographyBruce Chatwin reinv...

W hen Joe Bennett bought a five-pack of 'Made in China' underpants in his local New Zealand hypermarket for $8.59, he wondered who on earth could be making any money, let alone profit, from the exchange. How many processes and middlemen are involved? Where and how are the pants made? And who decides...

After ten years in New Zealand, Joe Bennett asked himself what the hell he was doing there. Other than his dogs, what was it about these two small islands on the edge of the world that had kept him - an otherwise restless traveler - for really much longer than they seemed to deserve? It wasn't the s...

This captivating book follows the late Sir Peter Blake - legendary yachtsman and adventurer - on his final, ill-fated voyage. It tracks him and his dedicated team on the blakexpeditions exploration vessel Seamaster to the environmental pulse points of the planet as they look to generate greater awar...

In the late '70s, Ted Simon rode 63,000 miles over four years through fifty-four countries in a journey that took him around the world. Through breakdowns, prison, war, revolutions, disasters and a Californian commune, he travelled into the depths of fear and reached the heights of euphoria. He met ...

“Our journey across the Tasman was frightening at times. Sharks tearing at our hull, 30-foot waves crashing over our kayak, and the possibility that the stern of the boat might be ripped away; these were all very real fears. Who were we to take on the Tasman Sea? But the little kid inside me s...

For those who appreciate the pleasures of the table, there are no happier reasons to travel than to explore the world's great culinary traditions. Every cuisine tells a unique story about the local landscape, climate, history, and culture - "Food Journeys of a Lifetime" will introduce you ...

Charley Boorman returns with a brand-new adventure, travelling from Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan...by any means! Using quad bikes, hovercrafts, wooden scooters, canoes, paragliders and of course his favourite mode of transport - motorbike - Charley travels th...

Charley Boorman returns with a brand-new adventure, travelling from Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan...by any means! Using quad bikes, hovercrafts, wooden scooters, canoes, paragliders and of course his favourite mode of transport - motorbike - Charley travels th...

Since 1998, Lonely Planet has been publishing our favorite travel stories. The disasters of Lonely Planet Unpacked, the romances of Brief Encounters, the random acts of generosity in Kindness of Strangers, the out-there adventures of Tales from Nowhere - these stories, and many others, explored the ...

Down, Across & Up is a heart warming Kiwi adventure story that follows a young couple who set out to conquer the coastline of New Zealand armed with their horses, a campervan for support, a tent and a cameraman. The journey took them over 5,000 kms through some of New Zealand's most spectacular ...

Unafraid of a challenge, Lois Pryce began the kind of adventure most of us could only ever dream of. She put on her sparkly crash helmet, armed herself with maps and a baffling array of visas, and got on her bike. Destination: Cape Town - and the small matter of tackling the Sahara, war-torn Angola ...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Ever wondered if declaring support for fair-trade and then chucking Kenyan beans from your shopping trolley to reduce food miles really added up? Or whether the women in Bangladeshi sweatshops really want you to stop buying the clothes from their sewin...

Sir Ernest Shackleton's South is one of the greatest survival stories of all time. In 1914, Shackleton led a party of men hoping to be the first to traverse the Antarctic, but when their ship was crushed by ice 350 miles from land, the expedition soon became a matter of life and death. This is the e...

"My Mercedes Is Not for Sale" is a rollicking, witty and insightful tale of an innocent abroad which captures the high-spirited adventure of a young journalist and paints a vivid portrait of West Africa through a surprise-filled journey into its thriving car cult. "My Mercedes is Not ...

The Orient Express; The Khyber Pass Local; the Delhi Mail from Jaipur; the Golden Arrow of Kuala; the Trans-Siberian Express; these are just some of the trains steaming through Paul Theroux's epic rail journey from London across Europe through India and Asia. This was a trip of discovery made in the...

Using the true story of a young man, who in 1992 walked deep into the Alaskan wilderness and whose SOS note and emaciated corpse were found four months later, Krakauer explores the obsession which leads some people to explore the outer limits of self, leave civilization behind and seek enlightenment...

Based on the high-rating TV1 series of the same name, Hunger for the Wild follows Wellington restaurateurs Al Brown and Steve Logan as they travel the country exploring great places and excellent wild food. Along the way learn about the local food, the land around it and the people who harvest it. E...

Until the early 1990s, when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, travelling behind the iron curtain was never easy. In undertaking his new journey through Eastern Europe, breathing in its rich history, and exquisite sights and talking to its diverse peoples, Michael fills what has been a void in his ...